10 June 2008

The Slow Bicycle Movement

The Slow Bicycle MovementI'm fascinated by the growing Slow Food movement which started in Italy in 1989 and I can certainly understand its popularity."Slow Food is a non-profit, eco-gastronomic member-supported organization that was founded in 1989 to counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world."

So why not start a bicycle-friendly version of the movement? The Slow Bike Movement - no, make that the Slow BICYCLE movement - the very word 'bike' is a speeded up version of the original.The very cool Icelandic artist múm anticipated this inevitable Slow Bicycle movement by creating the anthem.

29 comments:

My partner always notes that the people who seem most happy and pleased whilst cycling here are the ones who are riding cruisers and thus are not speeding in and out of cars and past other cyclists at a breakneck pace.

He has ridden my upright bike a few times and it always makes him laugh because he feels like he should have a big smile plastered across his face and be whistling on it. (His bike has drop handlebars and is fast!)

It is bike-to-work week here in Chicago but I'm unsure what kind of overall effect it has on cycling here. I like your idea better!

I love leisurely cycling and taking in all the details of the world around you!

Love your blog, live in Copenhagen and use my bicycle all the time. For me it's "the faster the better" though when I bike :) I'm fine with the Slow Bicycle Movement as long as you all remember to stay on the right side of the bike path :)

Although I'm European, I leave in Seattle, supposably one of the bike friendliest cities in the U.S. We are far from achieving Slow Cycling, in the US. The road infrastucture is way too aggressive and you have to be a true bike militant to ride in the streets. I'm considering going back home...

Heck, I've been there for years; it took me a while, but I finally realized that I am not a fast rider. It doesn't matter what bike I'm on, my subconcious imposes a psychological speed limit - I get up to a certain speed, and that's it, even if I still feel strong. On the level, on a light road bike, I top out at about 18 mph. Of course, I normally ride my lovely cargo bike (the Dreadnought), so the top speed is much lower, and cruising speed allows me to see the scenery as I breeze along. I get passed a lot, and that's just fine. Slow your roll and smile! Val

Kilometres cycled by Copenhageners so far today

Copenhagenize.com is the blog of Copenhagenize Design Company. Online since 2007 and highlighting the cycling life in Copenhagen and around the world.

40 years ago Copenhagen was just as car-clogged as anywhere else but now 41% of the population arriving at work or education do so on bicycles, from all over the Metro area. 55% of Copenhageners themselves use bicycles each day. They all use over 1000 km of bicycle lanes in Greater Copenhagen for their journeys. Copenhagenizing is possible anywhere.